'The man who wants to take your jobs'

[rlk at alum.mit.edu (Robert L Krawitz)]

   From: Adam Russell <rus20376 at infolaunch.com>
   Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2004 12:49:50 -0500

   You start to make a good point but then fall into some more silly
   claptrap.  Having worked with many Indian and Chinese developers I
   can tell you that virtualy NONE have had some sort of long term
   interest software. Virtaully ALL of them had their degrees in
   something else(I recall one strikingy beuatiful Chinese co-worker;
   she had an undergraduate degree in traditional Chinese medicine),
   however, they heard about the big bucks to be made in software and
   either did a post-bac series of courses in software development
   offered in their home countries or they sometimes even came here
   and just sort of, well, lied their asses off and had friends at
   home provide them some BS references.

I haven't seen any sign of that myself in industry.  Again, this is
from a fairly small sampling of workplaces.

In college (MIT in the mid 1980's), I did see this, but it had nothing
to do with origin or anything.  There were plenty of CS majors *of all
backgrounds* who were in it because it was the in thing.  Usually they
didn't actually go into system development or the like (which is what
I've mostly done); they went to Wall Street firms to make their
fortune.

   The valid point I thought you were starting to make is that the US
   doesn't value intellectual achievment like other countries. I
   believe it is still valued but it is just not the same cause for
   celebrity. For example, most russians would be able to name several
   of their famous poets but I doubt an american could do something
   similar. Unless you consider pop/rap singers to be poets. ;)

There does appear to be a strong anti-intellectual streak, coupled
with a worship of technology that wouldn't happen without the very
same intellectual achievements that are so looked down upon.

-- 
Robert Krawitz                                     <rlk at alum.mit.edu>      

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